Oh, the Stories You Can Tell!
April 17, 2019
Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children. Deuteronomy 4:9
Repeatedly throughout the Old and New Testaments we are urged to remember. Moses is instructing the children of Israel on the vital importance of remembering the right things. He starts by stating that remembering the right things is an outcome of diligent soul-care.
Perhaps the most immediate evidence of someone who regularly engages in diligent soul-care is gratitude. Zig Ziglar, an effective and faithful Christ-follower who impacted thousands over his lifetime said, “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” But, as Moses said, if we don’t keep our souls diligently, we are prone to slip into a “what have you done for me lately?” mindset. A grateful heart deliberately remembers the works and words of God that have strengthened, sustained, and enabled them over the years.
Moses urges us to take the memories of God’s work in our lives and the truths He has proven in our lives and “make them known to your children and grandchildren.” No one will have a greater impact on them than you will. Grandparents, even if your children are not currently following Jesus, even if you feel like you blew it when they were growing under your care, it is never too late to make a change. You have a new chance with your grandchildren, and the love you have and the stories you share may start new seeds of growth in your children’s hearts as well.
Telling your stories of God’s faithfulness encourages you and makes you stronger. Remembering how He has led you, rescued you, supplied your needs, sent the right person with the right word at just the right time gives you hope for the future. What happens in your own home, in your own family is more impactful than anything else to your children and grandchildren. It gives them a solid foundation for faith when they have their own challenges. Their own parents and grandparents become heroes in their story of faith!
- What are the personal stories in your life of God’s faithfulness? Take some time to go back over your life and make notes on how God has led and taught you.
- Have you ever shared your testimony of transformation with your family? How and when could you do that?
- Pray today for God to open doors and receptivity for you to naturally tell the stories He has written into your life with your family. Remember, we impress people from a distance, but we impact them up close! You can be the gift your family needs!